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Is this the World Cup campaign the world has been waiting for? Dramatic pep talk? Check. Panoramic aerial shots of Brazil? Check. Football fans? Check and with the added bonus of celebrities such as Nicki Minaj and Serena Williams. And of course a stellar line-up of sporting stars from Neymar Jr, to Robin van Persie, Cesc Fabregas and Bastian Schweinsteiger. There’s even a plug for Beats new owner Apple, with a shot of a gold iPhone 5S.

Beats isn’t a World Cup sponsor and players have been banned from wearing its headphones in and around World Cup venues to protect the rights of official sponsor Sony. We have an inkling that won’t stop the brand getting a huge awareness boost out of the competition.

GOOD WEEK FOR….Car marques

One of the biggest victims of the economic downturn at the turn of the decade is also proving to be one of the biggest benefactors from economic recovery. Car sales fell off a cliff five years ago but have come storming back, in the UK at least. Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) this week showed new car sales up 7.7 per cent to 194,000, the biggest May increase for more than a decade and the 27th consecutive month of growth.

Petrol and diesel cars accounted for the lion’s share of the growth but there was a noteworthy performance by hybrids. Sales of the more environmentally friendly options increased by 90 per cent year on year in May to almost 3,000.

SMMT credited the shift by marques in their marketing from an education message to one focused on driving pleasure.

BAD WEEK FOR…Tesco CEO Philip Clarke

The boss of the UK’s biggest supermarket has endured many a bad week in recent months but after announcing a 3.8 per cent year on year decrease in sales – the supermarket’s worst performance in more than a decade and the third consecutive quarter of worsening sales – critics of him and his turnaround strategy shouted even louder.

The supermarket announced a two-pronged marketing strategy to cure its malaise – spending more on media to hammer home its low prices and making greater use of its key data asset, Clubcard.

The noise around the supermarket’s sales drowned out the news of an interesting reshuffle of its executive team, which saw CMO Matt Atkinson become chief creative officer with a brief to oversee innovation and Jill Easterbrook take on responsibility for global marketing.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Newcastle Brown Ale launches gamble for Twitter fans

Craft brewer Newcastle Brown Ale has opted for the simple route when it comes to growing its Twitter following. Rather than create content or run a competition to recruit new fans, the brewer is paying people $1 to sign-up. Personal cheques are being handed to each new follower until the brand hits 50,000.

Philadelphia keen on food selfies

Philadelphia has become the latest food brand to tap the selfie craze with its latest push in Australia. The brand is asking Australians to post ingredients they have in the fridge in exchange for original recipes based on them. The most notable posts will be awarded a trip for two to Melbourne and $1,000 (£555) shopping trip to homeware store Salt&Pepper.

ONE TO WATCH

P&G declares programmatic intent

Procter & Gamble (P&G) is reportedly planning to buy up to 75% of its digital media in the US programmatically by the end of this year. It is part of the company’s shift to more cost-efficient digital media as it faces investor pressure to generate more from its ad budget amid slower growth. P&G’s foray into the space is the latest sign that marketers are beginning to adapt to the concept of programmatic buying, which many admit they struggle to understand. Conde Nast partnered with Google last month to trumpet its programmatic inventory to potential advertisers.

TWEETS OF THE WEEK

@bourkec – EMEA commercial director at mobile research company Qriously on programmatic advertising#Programmatic. Imagine you & every other holiday maker haggling with every Bazaar stall at the same time but you bid up for the real carpet.

@JoshGraff – LinkedIn EMEA senior director on what makes a good brandBrands are about promises. A good brand is a promise kept.

@bazely – managing partner at Lean Mean Fighting Machine on Morrisons’ marketingWithout the wit of Aldi or reach of Asda, Morrisons effortlessly claim last place in the supermarket race.

@TheMediaTweets – The Media Blog on Gazprom’s Champions League sponsorshipMust be those Champions League ads, tempting us all to buy gas -> RT @fsnmoscow: Gazprom reports gas supplies to Europe highest since 2009

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

10 June – The annual E3 video game conference and show kicks off at the Los Angeles Convention Centre. Last year all eyes were on the new Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles, but in 2014 it seems the focus will be on the games themselves. Expect some big-money advertising campaigns to follow.

11 June – Sainsbury’s releases its first quarter results. Its expected to do quite a bit better than market leader Tesco but will it have reversed last quarter’s sales decline?

12 June – Home Retail Group updates on its first quarter trading. Keep an eye on whether its digital transformation plans for both Argos and Homebase are on track.

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